Notes:The Basses (derived from the Portuguese word "baxos," meaning shoals) are a line of reefs off the SE coast of Sri Lanka. Both the Little Basses and Great Basses lighthouses were designed by James Douglass and constructed by his brother William Douglass of the Imperial Lighthouse Service. Each of the two is said to have received a hyperradial lens in 1888. The lighthouses were rehabilitated in the late 1990s, but they suffered some damage from the December 2004 tsunami, mainly to the lighting equipment. In December 2005, the English and Scottish lighthouse authorities - Trinity House and the Northern Lighthouse Board - announced that, in agreement with the Sri Lanka government, they had undertaken to repair the damage and launched a joint campaign to collect private funds for that purpose.

Directions: Diving excursions to the reefs are available from Colombo and can be arranged from such places as Kirinda and Yala on the southeast coast of Sri Lanka. The diving season in this area is from November to April.